Advocacy

As a worker-owned landscaping business, we support our workers’ taking part in today’s Day Without Immigrants. A landscaping business: Our industry depends on primarily Hispanic immigrants who make up around 40% of the landscaping workforce nationwide (Pew Research). While many U.S.-born workers disregard our work as simple manual labor, for us, landscaping is a craft, not just a job. Perhaps that’s why our clients frequently describe our crews as hard-working, careful, personable and kind. We...

As an immigrant-owned and led business and as a worker cooperative, we support our workers taking part in the May 1st national Day Without Immigrants. A Day Without Immigrants: On May 1st (aka “International Workers’ Day”) immigrants and allies from 25 states and 50 cities across the U.S. will stay home from work and refrain from spending any money. The goal is to illuminate the U.S. economy’s dependence on immigrant labor and immigrant consumer…

After 2 years of planning and organizing, the Greater Boston Chamber of Cooperatives has garnered enough support from our city officials to hold a City Council Hearing on cooperatives. The purpose of the hearing is to discuss the role of cooperative businesses and housing in creating a more just, sustainable and democratic Boston economy. The chamber’s lead organizer, Matt Meyer, stated that “This is a rare opportunity to make a dramatic difference in the cooperative…

Had you heard about cooperatives before you got to know A Yard & A Half Landscaping Cooperative? October is the month to spread the word about the benefits of cooperatives and celebrate the co-op movement! This month we’re celebrating National Cooperative Month along with 40,000 other cooperative businesses serving more than 120 million people nationwide. Still not quite sure what co-ops are all about? Officially a cooperative is “an autonomous association of people united voluntarily to…

Update to “Brookline’s Blower Ban: A Contractor Weighs In“ On November 18, 2015, the Brookline Town Meeting declined to ban gas-powered leaf blowers, with broad recognition that the proposed ban would unfairly target contractors, private homeowners, and small institutions. (The ban was amended to exempt Town crews and non-residential properties over 5 acres, most notably the Country Club.) Town Meeting voted 143 in favor, 57 opposed and with 2 abstentions to refer the question of whether…

On Tues Oct 27, 2015, the Brookline Board of Selectmen took a vote of no action on Warranty Article 10, which would place a year-round ban all gas-powered blowers. The article was amended to exempt Town crews, the country club and golf course, but still was not recommended by the board. (Update: on 11/18/15, the Town Meeting voted to refer the question to a moderator’s committee. More details and background here.) As a company concerned…